MxPx started as three 15-year-old kids calling themselves Magnified Plaid pounding out music inspired by and similar to The Descendents and other Southern California punk rock bands. They didn’t really love their band name, however, which was a tribute to the original guitarist’s penchant for wearing one particularly loud plaid shirt. Consequently, the name was abbreviated to M.P., but in Yuri’s handwriting, periods become “X“‘s and since he made up the show posters for the band, the four-letter moniker stuck.
Andy Husted, the former guitarist, left the band in 1995 to continue college.
Andy was replaced by Tom to solidify the line-up that would take the band into their post-teen years. Maybe Tom’s background as a drummer made up for his relative inexperience playing guitar (he had only played for a year at the time). He and Yuri lock into backbreakingly fast rhythms that rank with vintage Minor Threat for speed and percussive attack. Mike then adds to the mix his signature sing-along melodies that call to mind SoCal punk bands from the early ’80s.
Bremerton had been a town most famous for its naval shipyards until MxPx caught the attention of Tooth & Nail Records when they played a “showcase” for the T&N label in 1993 in Herrera’s parents’ garage. Mike Herrera had practiced so much before the first show, he lost his voice.
MxPx released three albums with Tooth & Nail Records: Pokinatcha in 1994, Teenage Politics in 1995, and Life in General in 1996. After a falling out with Tooth & Nail, MxPx left the label and signed with A&M Records.
In July 2010 drummer Yuri Ruley announced he would be retiring from the band to focus on his family. Ruley played his last show with the band in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 18, 2010. In a recent video message from Mike, he stated that Tom and Yuri have both finished touring full time, but will continue to play one-off shows with the band.
False Fiction
MxPx Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Unless you know Christ you won't know how I feel
Inflections of the way things were supposed to be
The mental disorder of our society
False finite ways of thinking
False fiction they're believing
Entropy is still promoting chaos
It's chaos, it's your loss
Maybe all their minds are shrinking
Your failed system is inducing chaos
It's chaos, it's your loss
Building, moving forward never looking back
Taking what the world has offered, but you forgot the pack
Common sense,logic,science, a humble self esteem
Live to die and die to gain, abort the selfish scene
In MxPx's song False Fiction, the lyrics start off with a critique on the idea of promised freedom. They argue that freedom is not actually a reality unless you have a relationship with Jesus Christ. The band then goes on to reference the current state of society and implies that the way things are supposed to be is not the way that they currently are. The lyrics suggest that society is suffering from a kind of mental disorder, as a result of believing and acting on incorrect and dangerous ways of thinking. They refer to these ways of thinking as false fiction and argue that this kind of thinking promotes chaos and ultimately leads to loss.
The chorus of the song argues that the world has stopped thinking and that people's minds are shrinking. They place blame on a failed system and argue that it's responsible for promoting chaos and bringing about loss. The song ends with a call to action to move forward, be open-minded, practice common sense, appreciate science, and have a humble sense of self. It references the idea of dying to gain instead of living a selfish life. Overall, the song is a critique of society and encourages individuals to live in a way that promotes freedom, justice, and sustainable living.
Line by Line Meaning
They guarantee our freedom but freedom isn't real
The idea that our government ensures our freedom is false because true freedom can only be experienced if one knows Christ.
Unless you know Christ you won't know how I feel
Without knowing Christ, one cannot fully comprehend the emotions being conveyed.
Inflections of the way things were supposed to be
A reflection on how things were intended to be, but have since become distorted.
The mental disorder of our society
A commentary on how society has developed an unhealthy state of mind.
False finite ways of thinking
Criticizing the tendency for people to have limited, unconsidered thought processes.
False fiction they're believing
A reference to people putting faith in untruths and incorrect ideas.
Entropy is still promoting chaos
Entropy, or the tendency for things to move towards disorder, continues to cause chaos in our world.
It's chaos, it's your loss
The resulting chaos is a consequence of society's poor choices and inability to recognize truth.
Maybe this world has stopped thinking
An observation that the world may have stopped critically analyzing ideas and concepts.
Maybe all their minds are shrinking
A commentary on how many people seem to be losing their ability to engage in thoughtful, intelligent discussion.
Your failed system is inducing chaos
The current societal structure has led to increasingly unstable and unhealthy conditions.
It's chaos, it's your loss
Society is ultimately responsible for the chaos it is experiencing as a result of its failed system.
Building, moving forward never looking back
Encouragement to keep pushing forward and not allowing the past to hold us back.
Taking what the world has offered, but you forgot the pack
Acknowledging that we take what the world has given us, but forgetting important things along the way.
Common sense,logic,science, a humble self esteem
Valuing traits such as critical thinking, humility, and scientific inquiry.
Live to die and die to gain, abort the selfish scene
A reminder to live our lives in a selfless manner, with the understanding that we will all eventually pass away.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRIAN ROBERT SETZER, MIKE HIMELSTEIN, RENATO CAROSONE, NICOLA SALERNO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind